LAHORE, Nov 30: Chief Minister, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, secured the vote of confidence in another special session of the Punjab Assembly here on Saturday.

Chaudhry Pervaiz was given the vote of confidence by 230 MPAs belonging to his PML-Q, the National Alliance, the PML Junejo and Jinnah, and 10 from the PPP and one from PML-N who had already crossed the floor. He got 235 votes during his election as chief minister on Friday.

So far, 354 MPAs in the 371-member House had taken oath. And the new chief minister had not yet announced his cabinet which he said would initially be small in size.

Though PPP’s Qasim Zia was expected to become the leader of the opposition, his nomination too had not come as yet.

Chaudhry Pervaiz obtained the vote of confidence through the division of the House. A count of the votes was taken by asking the members go through a marked door of the assembly hall. Those who abstained remained seated in the House.

The vote was taken after a a senior PML-Q MPA Arshad Khan Lodhi presented a resolution indicating that “as required by the Constitution this House reposes confidence in Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in his position as Punjab chief minister.”

The speaker, Muhammad Afzal Sahi, who faltered on a number of occasions, announced the result. Those in favour celebrated their victory by clapping instead of the usual thumping of the desks.

Chaudhry Pervaiz briefly thanked his supporters and said he wanted to give time to those who could not get an opportunity to speak on Friday.

He announced one-month’s additional pay for the assembly staff who, he said, had to work extra hours during the past one week to get the assembly hall ready for the session.

Qasim Zia, congratulating the new chief minister, said he was unable to understand what was the hurry in seeking the vote of confidence. “Is it because the CM was doubtful of the same support after 60 days,” he said.

Soon after the start of the session, PPP’s Rana Aftab raised a point of order objecting to the vote of confidence without, what he said, circulating the move to the members under the assembly rules.

The speaker said it seemed the MPA had not read the full clause pertaining to the vote of confidence. The session had been summoned for the purpose on the suggestion of a member and request received from the chief minister. “I therefore reject the point of order,” he said.

A PML-Q member later read out the remaining portion of the relevant law which provided for the vote of confidence on a short notice to the House.

The speaker said on Friday an opposition member had hoped that the new chief minister would follow a lot of examples set by his predecessor Mian Shahbaz Sharif. “Today he has done it by taking the vote of confidence one day after his election,” he said.